Tuesday, January 20, 2015 7:48:15 PM America/Chicago

Arguably one of the most interesting cars at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction this past weekend was the Ringbrothers-built 1971 De Tomaso Pantera “ADRNLN.” The gleaming yellow Pantera was offered at no reserve Saturday afternoon and the bidding quickly escalated to $300,000, at which point Gas Monkey Garage owner and “Fast ‘N’ Loud” star Richard Rawlings walked away with the keys. In addition to the TV star snatching up the car, ADRNLN also broke previous records for a Pantera sold at auction and is now the highest selling Pantera in collector car auction history.

“We are thrilled ADRNLN did so well this weekend at Barrett-Jackson,” Mike Ring said. “We weren’t sure what to expect, but we are happy with how well the car did and [owner] Cheryl Brickl is happy with the sale too.” “Richard Rawlings is a stand-up guy and we are glad ADRNLN is going home to Gas Monkey Garage,” Jim Ring added.

Although the 1970 Dragon Mustang remains the highest selling Ringbrothers-build sold at auction at $346,500, ADRNLN does break the record for highest-selling Pantera sold at auction. Top prices for restored Panteras are usually around the $80,000-$100,000 range, while some modified Panteras have sold for more. The Pantera community embraces upgrades, which is good news for the radically customized ADRNLN Pantera. Jim and Mike Ring put more than 5,000 hours of custom work into the car, making ADRNLN well worth the $330,000 final sale price tag.

When the ADRNLN Pantera first came to the Rings, they were tasked with a restoration job, but once they got started, they quickly discovered the car was too far gone to restore. With Cheryl’s blessing, the Rings proceeded to rebuild the Pantera, handcrafting nearly every panel from scratch. The car sits low and the overall shape has been smoothed and updated, giving the car a modernized aggressive sports car stance. When Cheryl Brickl brought the car to Ringbrothers, the only stipulation she had, was that it be yellow, so the Rings coated ADRNLN in a BASF Glasurit Waterborne paint color called “Yellow Line.” Other than the color, Ringbrothers had free reign over the build and designed the car the way they think De Tomaso would have made the Pantera today.

Inside the engine compartment is a beastly Wegner Motorsports GM LS3 engine producing a whopping 600 naturally aspirated horsepower with the help of a Holley Hi-Ram Intake Manifold and EFI system. To keep the engine and transaxle running smoothly, Ringbrothers filled both with Royal Purple synthetic lubricants.

The Pantera’s signature roar is created by a pair of Flowmaster Pro Series laminar flow stainless steel mufflers and a pair of custom built headers. To be sure that the car’s massive power gets put to the ground a set of HRE S101 three-piece forged wheels measuring 19x9 inches in the front and 19x12 inches in the back and were shod in 275 and 345 width Nitto Invo tires, while Baer six-piston calipers on all four corners were tasked to bring this modern classic to a stop.

One of the most unique features of ADRNLN has to be its two-toned, Nike-designed, interior. Nike’s Innovation Skunkworks Design Team created an ultra-driver-focused cabin that featured an innovative use of materials including Nike waffle on the pedals, perforated material from a shoe upper on the backing of the gauges, and a Wisconsin ‘71’ license plate that the team tracked down and distressed to allude to the condition that the car started in.